Product Description

It is one of the most remarkable dramas of World War II -- untold until now.

In 1941, three young men -- brothers, sons of a miller -- witnessed their parents and two other siblings being led away to their eventual murders. It was a grim scene that would, of course, be repeated endlessly throughout the war. What makes this particular story of interest is how the survivors responded. Instead of running or capitulating or giving in to despair, these brothers -- Tuvia, Zus, and Asael Bielski -- did something else entirely. They fought back, waging a guerrilla war of wits and cunning against both the Nazis and the pro-Nazi sympathizers. Along the way they saved well over a thousand Jewish lives.

Using their intimate knowledge of the dense forests surrounding the Belorussian towns of Novogrudek and Lida, the Bielskis evaded the Nazis and established a hidden base camp, then set about convincing other Jews to join their ranks. When the Nazis began systematically eliminating the local Jewish populations -- more than ten thousand were killed in the first year of the Nazi occupation alone -- the Bielskis intensified their efforts, often sending fighting men into the ghettos to escort Jews to safety. As more and more Jews arrived each day, a robust community began to emerge, a "Jerusalem in the woods." They slept in camouflaged dugouts built into the ground. Lovers met, were married, and conceived children. The community boasted a synagogue, a bathhouse, a theater, and cobblers so skilled that Russian officers would wait in line to have their boots reshod.

But as its notoriety grew, so too did the Nazi efforts to capture the rugged brothers; and on several occasions they came so near to succeeding that the Bielskis had to abandon the camp and lead their massive entourage to newer, safer locations. And while some argued in favor of a smaller, more mobile unit, focused strictly on waging battle against the Germans, Tuvia Bielski was firm in his commitment to all Jews. "I'd rather save one old Jewish woman," he said, "than kill ten Nazis."

In July 1944, after two and a half years in the woods, the Bielskis learned that the Germans, overrun by the Red Army, were retreating back toward Berlin. More than one thousand Bielski Jews emerged -- alive -- on that final, triumphant exit from the woods.

The Bielski Brothers is a dramatic and heartfelt retelling of a story of the truest heroism, a historic testament to courage in the face of unspeakable adversity.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #514852 in Books
• Published on: 2003-06-19
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 320 pages

Review
"[A] dramatic and heartfelt story of unbelievable courage in the face of unspeakable adversity." -- PW Daily

Review
"As amazing as Schindler's List." (People )

"An extraordinary story of resistance." (The Spectator )

"Captivating...a welcome story of bold, determined, and successful resistance....[An] unjustly neglected story." (San Francisco Chronicle )

"Fast-paced and deeply moving...inspiring in its representation of the heroism of ordinary people." (Washington Post )

"Remarkable [and] surprising ... Duffy's book is a gripping and overdue tribute to the brothers' resourcefulness and courage." (London Times )

"An engrossing, inspiring narrative ... of an incredible victory amid an immeasurable tragedy." (Dallas Morning News )

"A fascinating story!" (The Economist )

"Uplifting....A powerful recounting of a little-known story." (Kirkus Reviews )

"A haunting book...with the grip of good fiction and the punch of hard truth." (Chicago Tribune )

"A wildly daring, untold tale of resistance .... inspiring and harrowing." (Jewish Bulletin )

"This remarkable story would make a terrific movie.. A story about heroes, and Duffy does a masterful job." (Publishers Weekly (starred review) )

"An exciting, well-paced story about honor, courage and duty. An inspiration." (Howard Blum, author of THE BRIGADE )

"Powerful! The strength of the human spirt shines on in [this] beautifully written book." (Paula Zahn, CNN Live from the Headlines )

"[A] dramatic and heartfelt story of unbelievable courage in the face of unspeakable adversity." (PW Daily )

About the Author

Peter Duffy lives in New York City with his wife and daughter. The Bielski Brothers is his first book.

Customer Reviews

Brutal Men, Surviving Brutal Times
The Bielski Brothers were brutal men. What set them apart from others was that they rescued 1,200 Jews. They did not turn away the old, women, or children, though factions within their partisian group felt that the non-combatants were too much of a burden. Not only were the non-combatants not turned away, they were sought out from the ghetto's and led to the enclave.

The Brothers all had flaws, and the author Peter Duffy, does not gloss over the flaws. The Brothers were vengeful, murderous, and tyrannical. However, I feel that more "compassionate" men would never have been able to accomplish what the Bielski Brothers did. They maintained a enormous community within the forests of Belorus, not for weeks or months, but for years. This took strict discipline, which the Bielski's were capable of, including execution of those who disobeyed. Duffy reveals that at times, Tuvia, the leader, crossed the line of reason.

Duffy is able to show the humanity of these men. Men who lost their parents, wives and children, to the Nazi's, and risked their lives to save the lives of strangers.

This is a well written book, that tells a fascinating, little known story from the most horrific times in modern history.

A Story of Survival!
The Bielski Brothers is a fascinating, unblelievably true account during the time of World War Two. After the second chapter i was hooked. The three brothers: Tuvia, Zus, and Asael demonstrate courage and defeat after escaping from the horrors of the Nazis. An outrage grew amongst the three brothers after their parents and loved ones were involved in a mass murder by the anti-seminists, causing them to hide within the trees,build a villiage in the forest, and save nearly 1,200 Jews (as much as Oskar Schindler) Making the woods a safe haven for Jews.
The escapees are separated into groups of fighting men and non-fighting men, As they battle it out against the Nazis.
Coming to the end, i would say The Bielski Brothers is a very good book. I strongly recommend it!!! ;)

Timely and Appropriate
At this time when Mel Gibson's "Passion" is being studied for anti-semitism, it is timely and appropriate for the Bielski Brothers to be on the world stage. Peter Duffy's book does not do what the current movie does. Duffy doesn't depend on emotion or violence to manipulate a concept. He delivers the story --objectively from a humanitarian perspective. The Bielski strength, courage and compassion speak volumes on the Jewish resistence to Naziism at its ugliest. Peter Duffy's writing style is quite in line with this message of sacrifice and survival.